Unkindness of Ravens
by Indigospellbound
Summary: When Draco Malfoy discovers the price of following in his families foot steps, his worst enemies become his only hope.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This first chapter was originally 3 chapters that I wrote back in 2012 and revised in 2014. New chapters will be slightly shorter but will hopefully show an improvement in writing made over the years.

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It was the last place Draco Malfoy ever expected to be standing, at the front door of the Burrow a place inhabited by his only chance, and his worst enemy, the Weasley Family. He took one last deep breath before knocking on the weather worn front door. A group of chickens clucked as they crossed the driveway in the morning twilight. It took all night and a lot of courage to make it to this spot and Draco had to remind himself that this was the right thing to do at every step along the way. After a bit of silence he knocked again. Still silence. It is early he thought maybe I should come back another time… like never.

Shocking him out of his daze the door opened to reveal a very sleepy flaming haired boy about Draco's age rubbing the last bit of sleep out of his eyes, still in his pajamas. On the sight of Draco his brown eyes widened and he slammed the door in his face. Well that went better than expected thought Draco to himself; he's honestly surprised the boy didn't hit him.

"George! Take a look Malfoy's outside the house." Ron bellowed the sound echoing through the house. A faint sound of laughter came from deeper inside.

"Yeah right, Bleeding Malfoy's at the door, you can't fool me like that." The door opened again to a slightly shorter yet older looking young man. Then just as it was before the door slammed shut. Draco shrugged was just about to turn and take his chances with the woods when he heard the voice of a woman.

"What is all this ruckus, your father has been up half the night then I hear yelling and doors banging about. It's a miracle you don't wake up all of England" Well so much for being quiet. He heard more footsteps as she, presumably, descended the stairs.

"Malfoy's outside." responded one of the boys. The door cracked open and Draco saw the woman's eyes watching him through the slot.

"Are you alone?" She whispered trying to see around him.

"As far as I know I am." He responded honestly. The door opened the rest of the way to reveal a middle-aged witch with tiredness covering her kind face in a thread bare pink robe accompanied by a pair or worn pink slipper. She looked at Draco circumspectly.

"Well come on in." She stepped aside and ushered him inside, taking one last look outside before closing the door behind him. "ARTHUR." She called up the stairs. He walked past her and stood awkwardly in the Weasley's entryway, which was little more than a coat hanger at the foot of the stairs. Ron and George were studying him, arms crossed, from the nearby living room.

"Go ahead and have a seat dear. I'll put on some tea." Mrs. Weasley walked into the kitchen. "George, Ron, come with me and help get breakfast started." The two boys begrudgingly followed their mother into the kitchen but not before leaving Draco with one last unfriendly glance.

Draco took a seat on the old grey couch the springs poked at uncomfortably but he knew he was in no place to complain. A few moments later with tea in hand a tired looking Arthur Weasley sat in the matching arm chair across from Draco, offering him a cup of his own. "So, what brings you here?" He asked an awkward tension hanging in the air, despite Arthur's friendly smile. Draco took a moment to remember what his father said about how the Weasleys would allow a wolf into their home if it was disguised as a bunny rabbit.

"The Da-" he cleared his throat and began the speech he had been preparing for days. "I mean you-know-who is rumored to give me a task, one that I simply cannot complete." He lost a little more of his gumption with every word. "I've left home and I don't know where else to turn. You and your family are the only members of the order that I knew I could find." Arthur's eyes narrowed in thought. "I understand if you don't believe me. I wouldn't believe me if I were you. Please understand that I wouldn't come here like this if I knew another way. I'm not asking to join you or be welcomed as a member of your family all I want is protection. At least long enough until I can think of another course of action." Arthur was silent for a long time deep in thought. Draco looked around the room at the various photos and knickknacks adorning the walls and shelves. "Uh, Never mind I'll just leave." He got up and was almost out of the living room when Arthur's voice stopped him.

"Well, I will be owling Dumbledore, and he will want to talk to you, but until then you are welcome to stay here." Draco could have died right on the spot from shock. "All I ask is that you not attempt to contact anyone, best not leave any chances of anyone discovering your whereabouts, both for your safety and that of my family."

"I would think nothing less. Thank you sir, for your kindness." Both men rose and shook hands. Mr. Weasley led Draco upstairs to a now spare bedroom.

"You can stay in Percy's room; he's not around much anymore so I don't think he will mind." Draco noticed a slight strain of pain in Mr. Weasley's voice in regards to his estranged son but snapped back to his cheerful self quickly. "Make yourself at home. I'm sure Molly is already hard at work on breakfast." He left Draco with one last friendly smile and descended back down the stairs.

Draco placed his rucksack on the bed and sat down on to survey the room. It was very neat and bare. The bed where Draco sat was at the far end of the room, against the wall, right by the door. Near the center under a window was a desk with a quill, ink, a stacked pile of parchment, and a boy with bright red curly hair and horn-rimmed glasses shaking hands with the minister of Magic on top. The desk chair was pushed in. The only thing occupying the floor was an old tattered rug and a thick layer of dust from neglect on top. The bed was perfectly made, not a wrinkle in it that Draco did not cause.

He glanced at the only thing occupying the walls, a red and gold clock with the Gryffindor lion in it. The clock said it was only half past five in the morning; He lay back trying to see if he could get anything that resembled sleep in the unfamiliar house. A rooster crowed every few minutes to signify the beginning of the day. So Draco looked up at the ceiling and tried to imagine figures in the paint marks. Yet all he saw was the cold face of Voldemort, at least what he thought he looked like having never met him in person, the stern face of his father scolding him, or his mother's sad eyes.

He knew that she would be near frantic with worry upon finding his bed empty later this morning but he also knew that she would eventually understand why he had to leave, and why he couldn't tell her. He just hoped he would get that chance to explain himself sooner rather than later. Leaving his mother was the hardest thing he ever had to do. He hoped that The Dark Lord would be merciful upon her, and not think it was her idea to send him away. Just then a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Breakfast." Ron said not waiting for Draco to open the door and not waiting to see if he was heard.

Draco waited for a few moments contemplating if he really should join them. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley seemed open enough yet he wasn't so sure about their children. The sound his stomach made decided for him. He put his brave face back on and walked down the stairs.

-

That morning Ginny Weasley made a resolution. She will never go downstairs in her pajamas ever again, even if it was only breakfast. She will wake up early and properly shower and dress each morning before joining her family. This will be the last time she will ever be caught off guard by an unexpected guest.

Ginny woke up to the smell of breakfast she got out of bed and descended the stairs still half asleep. She rubbed her eyes at the second to last step with a yawn, it was then that she realized her grave error. Sitting there at her breakfast table, at a seat right next to her dad sat Draco Malfoy. And there she was, Ginny Weasley, with her hair standing up in odd angles, wearing only a tank top and a pair of pajama shorts.

At first Ginny thought she must be dreaming. There would never be an instance in which Draco Malfoy would be at her house. Then she remembered that if this really was a dream she would have showered first. Sure, she knew that classically Malfoy was a git who hated her friends and family, which did raised a question of why he was eating her mum's pancakes, but that didn't mean the he wasn't gorgeous or that she didn't mind him seeing her in her fresh from bed, un-showered glory. Is it really that hard to let me know that Draco Malfoy will be joining us for breakfast?

"'Morning Ginny." her mother called, Great. She thought. Thanks Mum, now I can't go back up stairs.

"'Morning Mum." She pretended to smile as he took a seat between Ron and Fred. Breakfast was uncomfortably silent; you'd think that with seven people there would be some conversation. Fred told a joke that everyone except for Mum found funny and things were starting to lighten up until…

"Ginny, you've been uncharacteristically quiet this morning." Said George locking eyes with Fred, which is never a good thing for Ginny's metal health. Even since he overheard her mentioning to Luna that Draco looked nice in his dress robes during the Yule ball neither of the twins had left her off the hook for even slightly fancying him. Ginny shoot him a look that asked him how much he valued his life and she went back to her pancakes.

"This is a great look for you Ginny." Fred added poking at her hair. You know what? If You-Know-Who walked in right now and killed them both I wouldn't even be sorry. "You should wear your hair like that more often."

"I mean, how do you get it to stick out like that? It must take you hours." Ron started snickering and Draco looked sheepishly at his food not sure how he should respond. Why not kill Ron too?

"Come on, what's your secret? And that outfit, what do they call it? pajchic." Ron added.

"Really Ron, Pajchic?" Fred asked.

"Yeah it's like pajama chic. Get it?" Sadly, I do.

"Best leave this to the pros." George cleared his throat. "Hey Ginny, do you remember the time when—"

"—Mum can I be excused." She said just in the nick of time. She had a feeling of where this was heading and she wasn't about to take the bait. Her mother nodded. "Nice try." She whispered to George as she took her empty plate into the kitchen.

She placed the plate into the sink and sighed looking out the window at the gnomes playing in the garden. She had a feeling what her mum had in mind for Ginny's afternoon activities. In a way she envied those gnomes they didn't have nearly as many problems as she. Taking one last glance towards the dining room she walked up the back stairs to her bedroom to put on the best outfit she had, without looking too planned of course.

Ginny went on spend the greater part of her morning trying on every article of clothing she owned while consulting the latest issue of Witch Weekly for anything that her underage self could do to improve her appearance. Finally when she was satisfied she made her decent down the stairs.

"What are you all dressed up for?" Ron asked meeting her half way down the stairs.

"I always dress like this." She retorted

"Harry's not here."

"So?" Ron shrugged and walked the rest of the way up the stairs. Ginny took a deep breath and took the bottom stair.

"Ginny." Her mother called. "Come help me in the in the kitchen." Ginny sighed as she made her way to the kitchen catching not even a glimpse of Draco in the living room. Seriously, what is the point of getting all dressed up if there is no one to see you? Not that she wanted to impress Draco but she wanted to show him that what she was wearing this morning wasn't her normal attire.

"Hermione should be arriving soon." Ginny said as she entered the kitchen.

"You will have plenty of time to catch up. The Order is coming over tonight for dinner and the garden needs degnoming, the flower beds need a good weeding, and the chickens need tending." Ginny waked to the counter and cut some vegetables for a salad.

"What do you think of Malfoy staying here?" Ginny asked keeping her eyes on the task at hand.

"Well, I never thought he would show up here but everyone deserves a chance, isn't that what Dumbledore believes." She placed some newly made sandwiches on a plate. "Are you ok with this? I know that you two haven't had the best of encounters at school."

"I agree with you, if Dumbledore trusts him so do I."

"I'm talking about him living here. If you don't feel comfortable then I'm sure another member of the order would be happy to let him stay with them."

"I don't mind." She looked at her mom. "As far as I'm concerned he can stay as long as he wants. In fact I'd rather be him he here so I'm able to keep an eye on him." She placed her chopped vegetables in a bowl. There was a knock on the door.

"That must be Hermione." Ginny abandoned her salad and walked towards the door.

"Check before you open that door." Mrs. Weasley called after.

"Of course mum."

Ginny rolled her eyes and opened the door without looking revealing her brunette, bushy haired, friend Hermione Granger, behind her stood her nervous looking muggle parents. "Hello Hermione. It's nice to see you Mr. and Mrs. Granger."

"Hello Ginny," Said Mrs. Granger.

"Goodbye darling." Said Hermione's father placing a goodbye kiss on his daughter's cheek.  
"See you at Christmas." Her mother gave her a hug. With a few more exchanges of I love you, I'll miss you, Yes I will, I'll remember. Hermione parents left. The girls dragged her trunk up the stairs and everything was going well until they reached Percy's room.

Draco Malfoy walked out of his new room and within half a second both stood on the landing wands drawn waiting for the other to make a move.

"Ginny what's a ferret doing in your house."

"How dare you call me that you mudblood. I happen to be under the protection of The Order."

"Not yet you're not." Ginny scoffed, heaving the trunk up the last step.

"Tell me the truth before I hex you into oblivion. Normally I'm against animal cruelty but for this I'll make an exception."

"Very brave for an underage witch." He said through gritted teeth. "Careful Granger your Gryffindor honor is showing. You mustn't forget – "

"I know your father is going to hear all about this. Give it a rest you two." Neither of them moved. "Come on Hermione I'll explain everything in my room." She led her friend up the stairs while dragging the trunk. Hermione stayed as stiff as a statue. "I'm sure that if she could speak she'd say something along the lines of watch your back, sleep with one eye open ect."

Once the girls left Draco chuckled despite himself and shook his head while descending the stairs.

When the door to Ginny's clicked shut Hermione finally came to her senses. "What in the name of Merlin is Malfoy doing in your house?"

"Apparently he ran away and now wants to come live with us." Ginny said flatly, a little bit of humor showing in her face.

"And you're allowing this?"

"Well, it's not exactly my decision to make. I was asleep when he got here and I found out when I came down stairs to see him eating my mum's pancakes."

"You think he might come up here and murder us in our sleep or something?"

"I never thought about that. Cold blooded murder doesn't seem like his style. He strikes me as more of the torture than kill type." Ginny placed a finger on her chin. "But I don't think we need to worry about that. He doesn't have an audience here. Besides Hermione, there's seven of us and one of him."

"He could be trying to get close to us to hurt Harry."

"Maybe, maybe not, remember Sirius came from a bad family and he turned out good. I think everyone deserves a chance. The order is coming tonight, as far as I'm concerned they can figure it out." Hermione sat down on her cot, still uneasy but her mood did begin to thaw. "Encase you're wondering, Ron's probably in his room. I'm sure he wouldn't mind some help plotting Malfoy's death."

Hermione got up and walked to Ron's room while Ginny went down the stairs to get some lunch. Once she reached the bottom she remembered that she needed to avoid her mum when they were going to have company.

"Ginny, get Hermione and your brother and go degnome the garden." Ginny walked back up the stairs to get them.

"What are you three up to?" Draco asked when they reached the living room. He was bored out of his mind with only Percy's dull books to keep him busy.

"Degnoming the garden." Said Hermione.

"Can I help?"

"Uh sure." Ginny shrugged. "Come on." Draco followed them into the back garden.

"Have you ever degnomed a garden before?" Ginny asked him

"Of course not he has a whole fleet of house elves to do it for him." Ron scoffed getting to work.

"Uh I haven't no." Draco said shyly.

"Well it's very simple." She walked him through the process.

"And you have to do this how often?"

"Daily." Said Ron. Draco scrunched his face.

"More like every two weeks." Ginny rolled her eyes

"Bloody feels like daily." Ron mumbled.

Everything was going great, they were joking, laughing. Ron was making the gnomes do odd things and Hermione was trying her hardest not to be amused. Draco's attempts at conversation fell on deaf ears besides Ginny. That was until Ron said.

"I forgot to get something upstairs." Ron said shifty eyed and walked into the house. Those still working shrugged and continued until Ron shouted "INCOMING" from an open window right about where Draco was working. He looked up to see a massive water balloon coming straight towards him. His attempts to brace himself were futile as it landed soaking him completely.

There was a stunned silence except for the maniacal laughs of Ron from above. Draco shook his hands trying to get the water out before running into the house trying to reach the safety of his bedroom before the tears began falling.

Ginny found it hard to lose the shocked look on her face and it wasn't only due to the fact that the water made Draco's t-shirt completely see through and she was able to see the muscles of his back as he walked away.

Ginny didn't know how long she stood there staring at the now empty doorway. It could have been seconds or it could have been days. All she knew was that when time started up again it was like it flashed forward to make up for lost time, leaving her breathless.

"Ronald Weasley!" Her mum shouted causing Ginny to snap back into reality. Hermione ran past Ginny into the house to help Mrs. Weasley reprimand her son. Ginny shook her head and walked into the house in a daze. She knew what she had to do since no one else in the house was going to do it, but she wasn't sure if she could go through with it.

Draco reached his room and closed the door behind him, no this was Percy's room it would never be his and this place would never be his home. These people would always be his enemies and he would just have to come to terms with the fact that he would never have a family again. He sat down on the bed and was shocked to feel a few tears escape. The voice of his father rang through his head. "You're weak." He said. "You're pathetic, a disgrace." his voice filled with ice. "You will never be worthy of the Malfoy name, you're as bad as those blood-traitors."

A knock on the door broke his thoughts. He took a moment to compose himself before saying "Come in." He was in no condition to make the journey across the room to open the door himself. When the door opened and Ginny walked in with some towels. He took one and sat down on his bed to dry himself off. To both of their surprise she sat down next to him.

"Sorry Ron is such a git." she said in a tone she would use if she were talking to a dear friend. They both kept their gaze straight ahead.

"Well I can't say I'm surprised, I figured something like this would happen sooner or later. Although, he did show a little more creativity than I thought possible." He allowed the typical Malfoy smirk to grace his features and the two shared a laugh. He realized that every time he had smiled or laughed since coming here it was due to her. He wasn't sure what that meant but her company was welcome.

"I better warn you that Mum and Hermione gave him quite a talking to so expect a half-arsed apology sometime soon."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"So have you really left the death eaters?" She asked shifting to face him.

"You Weasley's don't beat around the bush do you?" She blushed. "To answer your question, I guess you can't leave something you were never a part of." He ran his fingers through his damp blond hair.

"But you parents -" he cut her off

"- Are not me. Just because I'm a Malfoy doesn't mean I'm a death eater. I'm not defined by my family."

"That's surprisingly mature for you." He scoffed. "So does this mean you're going to join the order?"

"Well I'm not about to go skipping though a meadow hand in hand with Potter." She laughed at the image "but, I don't see myself against you." He paused. " Look, I still hate mud-bloods, and I think your father's fascination with muggles is nauseating but I'm not your enemy."

"Well," She looked into his eyes. "That's good because I'm not your enemy either. You will find that I too am not defined by my family." They sat in silence for a few minutes. "I should get back to that list of chores before mum realizes I'm gone." She got up to leave.

"Ginny," He called after her. "Thank you." She turned around to look back.

"You're welcome." She wasn't quite sure what he was thanking her for.

-

That afternoon found a rise in spirits as Ginny and Draco set up some tables and chairs for The Order outside while Ron weeded the garden alone. Draco took the opportunity to hum a tune that Ron knew all too well, Ginny chimed in, singing the words under her breath.

"He always lets the Quaffle in  
That's why Slytherins all sing:  
Weasley is our King."

"Malfoy," Harry said entering the garden causing the temperature in the air to cool. "Dumbledore would like a word."

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed as she ran across the garden and gave her friend a hug. Ron got up and gave his friend a proper greeting as well, while Draco slunk past the others into the house.

"Mr. Malfoy, come sit." Said Dumbledore once Draco had reached the sitting room. It was odd seeing is headmaster outside of school, he looked exactly the same as he did in his office at Hogwarts but completely different at the same time, almost too big for the Weasley's small sitting room. Next to him sat his former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Remus Lupin.

"I have heard that you have decided not to accept initiation into the Death Eaters and wish to join the Order instead." Dumbledore started off the conversation.

"Yes sir." He said simply, not correcting Dumbledore on the finer details.

"Now, Draco why is that?"

"The Da-" He cleared his throat, "You-Know-who has given me a task, a task that I cannot complete."

"What is the task." Lupin asked

"I must." He began. "I have been asked to." He started again. "You-know-who wants me to uh-em-um... he wants me to kill you." He winced at the last part and looked up to gage the reaction of his teachers.

Dumbledore betrayed no look of surprise it was almost as if he already knew. "And why would that be such a bad thing?"

"Because sir, it's murder, murder is wrong." He said as if it were a stupid question.

"So it is..." Dumbledore kept his words causing doubt in Draco's quick answer, eyes trained. "Now tell me , are you willing to die for me?"

Draco opened his mouth and closed it, he had never thought about it that way before. "It seems as if I've already made my choice."

"No, Mr. Malfoy the choices we make never final." The old man winked and left the room.

"I have been watching you for many years, I had a feeling it was only a matter of time before you chose your own path. I can tell, you have a good heart in there. My only wish is that you let it out. " Draco wasn't sure what Dumbledore meant with all of that. "This won't be easy, you have disobeyed Voldemort and there is not telling what the consequences will be. I am giving you one final chance. Do you want to go back to the way things were?"

Draco thought that over, he didn't have a bad life. He had popularity, money, status, his parents loved him. Yet if he went back home things wouldn't go back to the way they were last year. They would only get worse.

"I don't want to be a Death Eater." He said, somehow saying the words out loud made it real. It was true, ever since the Quidditch World Cup he had been dreading the moment when he'd be asked to join.

"In that case Mr. Malfoy, I extend to you my protection, in return for your loyalty to The Order."

"What would this loyalty entail?"

"That you do not reveal any sensitive information you may hear about The Order and its members to anyone outside of the organization."

"I can agree to that."

"If you are to break this trust there will not be a second chance." Draco nodded. "Arthur, Draco Malfoy is to be under to protection of The Order."

Arthur Weasley looked as if he would protest he nodded in understanding.

"Well, Draco what do you say we go get some supper?" Lupin said guiding Draco out to the garden.

-

"Ginny mail for you!" Ron yelled bounding up the stairs a few mornings later

"Give it." Ginny said snatching the envelope from Ron.

The door to Draco's door opened on the landing bellow "Will you two shut it some of us like to sleep in the morning!" He yelled.

"Come off it you prick it's 9." Ron called behind him on his way back down the stairs to the living room. Ginny unfolded the letter and read it.

Ginny,

I had such a good time on Holiday and I can't wait to tell you about it. I'm going to be in Diagon Alley next Monday tell me you'll meet me there. I've missed you so much.

Love,  
Dean

"Who's that from?" Draco said suddenly right behind her.

She jumped "Oh Merlin you scared me. It's just from Dean, my boyfriend." She said emphasizing the word boyfriend.

"I never heard you had a boyfriend." He snapped

"Well we got together at the end of last term and he's been abroad all summer. I guess I just, um..." She bit her lip "forgot."

Draco let out a laugh. "You forgot you had a boyfriend?!" Ginny looked down at her feet blushing. "Really, how do you do that?" He laughed some more.

"I remember now." Ginny said sheepishly

"Let me guess, it happened so fast and you're only now able to fully process it." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"So are you going to see him then?" He said once he finally calmed down.

She caught his grey eyes hers full of fire "Yes, next Monday."

"Make sure to tell him about how you haven't stopped thinking about him."

"Thanks for the advice," She called walking down stairs to get some breakfast. Draco went back to laughing and could be heard all the way down the stairs. Ginny smiled despite herself and put the letter in her pocket for safe keeping.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mum I'm going to Diagon Alley today." Ginny mentioned to her mother casually over toast and jam at the breakfast table. She must have momentarily forgotten who her mother was because she obviously didn't realize that a simple trip to Diagon Alley to see her boyfriend wasn't going to be that easy.

"Oh? And why is that?" Her mother looked at her like she just announced that she wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts.

"I'm going to meet Dean Thomas." She took another bite of her toast.

"Is that so…"

"Mum you remember Dean he's in Ron's year in Gryffindor."

"Well if he is Ron's friend then, why doesn't Ron go with you?"

"Mum, I don't need a babysitter."

"I never said anything about a babysitter, Ginny; if Ron and Harry are friends with Dean as well I don't see why they can't join you."

"It's because she's going on a date." Ron mumbled with her mouth full.

"Oh a date." Mrs. Weasley's widened her eyes, and Draco looked up realizing this conversation was about to get interesting. "Since when do you have a boyfriend? You know you're supposed to tell your father and I about these things."

"I was going to, it just sort of happened." Ginny stumbled out trying in vain to save herself.

"She means sort of happened 2 months ago." Added Ron. Ginny kicked him under the table which caused him to sputter out some of the juice he'd been sipping.

"So can I go?"

"I'll have to discuss this with your father."

"But I sort of told him I'd be there in about an hour." Mrs. Weasley raised her eyebrow accusingly. "I'll be safe. Dean will be there, and Fred and George will be right down the street." She gave her mum her best pleading look but after 15 years Mrs. Weasley had become immune.

"If Ron accompanies you, you can go." Ginny was about to open her mouth in protest but she realized this was the best she was going to get.

"What if Draco goes with me." Everyone at the table stopped what they were doing. She knew it was a risky move but she figured that if Draco went he wouldn't want to be seen with her or Dean so he'd leave them alone.

"Absolutely not!" Mrs. Weasley raised her voice. "Draco needs to be kept hidden, if anyone sees you two together it won't take long for his ware bouts to be exposed." Mrs. Weasley didn't add the part about how she didn't trust Draco with a tadpole let alone her only daughter.

"Fine." Ginny crossed her arms and slouched into her chair. She continued eating but this wasn't over.

An hour later Ginny peered her head into the living room finding it empty she walked over to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder from the jar nearby. She stepped into the fireplace and was about to say the name of her destination when she heard a voice.

"What do you think you're doing?" said Draco leaning against the doorway to the kitchen.

Ginny glared at him. "I'm going to Diagon Alley."

"I see." He said raising an eyebrow.

"Wait, how long have you been standing there?"

"Oh probably about as long as you've been in here. I had a feeling you were going to try something like this since breakfast."

She walked out of the fireplace and put the floo powder back into the jar. "Is that so?"

"Weasley, you have all the subtlety of an Irish Setter." He said walking over to her.

"That's oddly specific."

He nodded. "It's the red hair." He reached his hand up like he was going to touch it but put it back down.

"I see, so are you going to go turn me into mum." She said catching the glint of mirth in his silver eyes.

He shook his head. "If you're going to break out of jail you're taking me with you." He grabbed a handful of floo powder and stood in the fireplace. "Diagon Alley." He said dropping the powder and in a flash he was gone.

Ginny rolled her eyes and grabbed her own handful. "Diagon Alley." She said and she too was gone.

On the other side Draco had taken up residence against a brick wall waiting for Ginny.

"Let me guess, this is the part where you give us the slip and run back home." She said brushing the soot off her pants.

"As appealing as that sounds." He said sarcastically remembering the cold dreary life he had back at Malfoy Manner. "I'll have to decline." He got up and walked down the alley. "Meet back her in about two hours?"

"What are you going to do for two hours?" Ginny asked.

"I'll find something." He called after her. Ginny rolled her eyes and followed him out of the alley.

About 45 minutes into their date Ginny remembered why she forgot she was dating Dean Thomas. She knew it had been about 45 minutes because she had been counting since they sat down and he started to regale her of stories he found out about muggle history while touring various sights.

"At Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania they talked about how the confederate troops…" Ginny nodded along. _Pennsylvania, that was somewhere in the East, and the confederates were in the civil war which was about two hundred years ago, give and take a hundred_ she thought _See, I paid attention in muggle studies._ Behind Dean's head she saw Draco walk by, with a pretty girl Ginny thought was in Slytherin on his arm. "Ginny, is something wrong?" Dean asked noticing that she was no longer paying attention to him. He turned around and saw Draco being seated by a waiter. "Ugh, Malfoy's here." He said then turned back to Ginny. "As I was saying The President lives in this house in a separate state that somehow isn't a state on Pennsylvania Avenue…" _That's funny_ Ginny laughed inwardly, _Pennsylvania Avenue isn't in Pennsylvania. _

Although she did her best to keep her attentions on Dean she couldn't help but watch Draco with his date. They were obviously having a better time than Ginny was, the girl seemed to be hanging on every word Draco said. She felt guilty for a moment, Dean was a very nice young man, and handsome, he couldn't help it if he was boring.

A few minutes later Draco's date got up to use the loo. "Dean, if you will excuse me for a moment. I need to use the loo." He nodded and she got up.

"Save me." Ginny said, sliding into the seat across from Draco.

"Why? You're on a date it would be rude." He said watching the door to the restroom. He turned his head to look at her pleading expression. "What's wrong?" His eyes suddenly full of concern.

"Nothing, he's just. Well he's boring."

Draco laughed "Dean's witch pleasing skills not up to par?"

"Please just say something and tell me I have to go. Dean knows you're staying with us." Draco raised an eyebrow "I had to tell him, he asked me what was new and I couldn't lie." His eyebrow lifted higher. "I'm not a Slytherin, I'm not good at lying."

"Ask for the check and be on your way. That's what normal people do on lousy dates." Draco started to bounce his knee nervously. She understood why, if that girl came back and she was sitting in her seat there was bound to be a scene.

"I can't do that, he's my boyfriend."

"Then break up with him."

"Draco…" She gave him her best pleading look.

"Good luck Weasley." He waved her off. She groaned and slunk off the seat.

Ginny gave herself a moment to compose herself and sat back down with Dean. She took a deep breath and looked at the clock on the door. "Oh look at the time, I must be going?"

"Already? It feels as if we just sat down." Dean said the look he gave her was a little sad.

"Oh, well, as the muggles say-" Dean laughed. "Time does fly when one is having fun." He lit up like a tree at Christmas.

"Are you sure you can't stay longer?"

"Ah, mum is probably waiting for me. She'd hate both of us it we were out too late." That part wasn't entirely a lie. Dean nodded and asked for the check. The two walked out of the restaurant hand in hand but not before Ginny gave Draco a withering look. Dean gave her a light kiss that was soft and pleasant, just like him, and the two went their separate ways.

Ginny sat on the ground in the alleyway that Draco and Ginny had arrived at while people came and go. They asked her if she was ok and gave her a small smile when she said she was waiting for someone.

"There you are." She said when Draco finally arrived.

"You were waiting her this whole time?" he asked helping her up.

"I couldn't go walk around Diagon Alley and run into Dean again." She brushed the dust off herself.

"You could have gone home."

"Home, that's something I wanted to put off as much as possible. You're about the feel the full wrath of Molly Weasley." She grabbed the bit of floo powder in the vile she kept in her pocket. He did the same.

"I'm sure, I'm properly prepared." He dropped the floo powder into the fireplace. "The Burrow."

He was not prepared.

When Draco had always been able to gage the anger his parents had for him by how calmly they spoke when he had done some sort of misbehavior. The calmer the more terrifying. Molly Weasley on the other hand had a very different approach.

Ginny materialized behind him a moment later, her body pushing him out of the fireplace. She took one look at her mother's face and knew she had never been in more trouble. She instinctually tried to hide behind Draco but it was no use.

It wasn't supposed to be possible for a witch to literally turn themselves into fire but somehow Molly Weasley had managed it. Her flaming hair stood up and looked like it was actual flames while her brown eyes stared at him with passion so fiery Draco felt it literally burn to look at. When she finally spoke the house shook with her booming voice that seemed difficult for the short pump woman to produce.

"Where on Earth do you think you are doing?!" Each word sounded like its own sentence as she tried to compose herself enough to speak.

"Mum, please don't be too mad." Ginny said, the look Molly gave her caused the young woman to squeak and hide back behind Draco.

"Oh I'm angry. You two think that you can just take off after I specifically told you not to." Her words dripping with venom. "And you." She stuck her wand at Draco's chest causing him to flinch. "I welcome you into my home and in less than a month you're encouraging my daughter to disobey me."

"I'm sorry mam." He said.

"Oh you better be sorry, both of you." They lowered their heads. "Now I want the two of you to go upstairs and stay out of my sight until dinner. Then you are going to come, eat up, and go to bed early because you're going to need your strength when you clean this house and the grounds top to bottom." They nodded. "Ginny you are grounded until the start of term, no outings, no letters, nothing. I would do the same to you Draco but you are already barred from contact outside of The Order from Dumbledore. Now I'm going to allow you this one time in an assumption that you mad a momentary lapse of judgment but if I find out you have been sharing your ware bouts with anyone you're gone. Understand?"

"Yes mam." They said in unison.

"Alright now go." The two hurried out of the room and up the stairs.

When they reached Draco's room Ginny walked in and pulled Draco inside closing the door behind him. They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Merlin, that was terrifying." Ginny leaned against the door for support.

"I can see why your whole family is in Gryffindor." He sat on the bed to catch his breath and Ginny sat down beside him.

"So how was your date?" She asked after the laughter had died down.

"It went well."

"Can you expect more in the future."

"Most likely, although with us being on lockdown here I'm not entirely sure that will happen. I'll make it up to her when we get back to Hogwarts." The two locked eyes and Ginny tore herself away and looked down tension suddenly permeated the air when the two suddenly remembered for the first time that day that they weren't friends.

"I'll, um, see you at dinner." She got up and Draco followed her to the door.

"Yeah, see you." He said closing the door behind her. He sat on the bed and wondered how could have forgotten. No matter how messed up his life seemed, Malfoys and Weasley were not friends. No matter how glossy her red hair was or how much her eyes reminded him of butterscotch, Malfoys didn't find Weasley attractive.


	3. Chapter 3

**Because I'm terrible at Authors Notes here is chapter 3. I've had a lot of fun writing the banter between Ginny and Draco in this chapter. Thanks for the reviews they mean a lot to me.**

After almost a week of near constant chores Ginny found herself at the final room in the house she hadn't cleaned. That one she had been putting off in the hope that it would somehow magically go away. Ron's room.

"So what's next?" Draco asked holding a bucket of soapy water and a mop while Ginny help a broom and basket full of various cleaning supplies.

Ginny consulted the list her mum had given her in the week before. "Just one more, we have to clean Ron's room." Draco sighed and followed her up the stairs. When they got to the top with only a ladder left leading to Ron's room Draco stopped.

"So up to the attic we go then?" He asked.

"The attic is where the Ghoul lives." Ginny replied starting up the ladder.

"That's not a very nice thing to call your brother." Draco replied. Ginny laughed and pushed open the trap door at the top of the ladder and stopped.

Before Ron had Harry as a best friend Ginny considered Ron to be her best friend and most constant playmate. It had been years since they had been that close but in the moment Ginny remembered why she had considered Ron among her favorite brothers. The room while normally looked and smelled like a dung bomb went off was nearly spotless. All the clothing was picked up off the floor, the beds were made, the floorboards looked washed and shinned, the windows were clean, the cobwebs were knocked off the exposed beams. Ginny sighed and turned around.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked.

Ginny blinked back tears. "It's clean, Ron cleaned his room. I don't think he's ever cleaned it before."

"So we're done?" He asked

Ginny nodded. "Yes, it looks like we're done." She turned around and continued up the ladder.

"Then why are we going up there?"

"For a Slytherin you're not very perceptive. If we go down now mum will find out we didn't clean Ron's room and give us some other task."

He nodded and followed her up. She set the cleaning supplies down and flopped down on Ron's bed, lying on her back with a sigh. Draco sat on Harry's.

"So I haven't heard anything about this mystery girl except that you had a nice date with her." She picked up a replica of a golden snitch and tosses it up in the air and caught it absentmindedly. Throughout the week Draco and Ginny had talked about nearly everything, school, quidditch, music, but nothing personal.

"What would you like to know?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Like her name for starters." She tossed him the snitch and he caught it.

"Greengrass…" he searched for the name. "Astoria? No, that's the younger one. Daphne, that's the one." He tossed the snitch back to Ginny.

"You didn't remember her name?" She threw it back, this time with more force.

He caught it again, the hard plastic stinging where it hit his palm. "I remembered her name fine. I'm very good with names." The snitch went back to Ginny.

"Ok then, Mr. Good-with-names, what's mine?" She tossed it back.

"I know this one, it's Gin… Genevieve." He tossed the snitch back.

She shook her head. "Guess again." He raised his arm to catch the snitch but she didn't throw it. "Nope, you don't get it until you answer the question right."

"Uh, Virgina." She made a face like he insulted her. "Ginnifer." She shook her head again. He paused for a long time thinking it over.

"Give up?"

After a few more moments he sighed. "I guess so."

"It's Ginevra." He raised an eyebrow. "My mum read it in a book somewhere. There are worse names." She tossed him the snitch and Draco was so lost in thought he almost didn't catch it.

"I didn't say it was bad, just unexpected. It's lovely."

"Really?" She asked

"You don't think so?"

"I never really liked it." She had never talked about this to anyone before. "It never felt like it suited me."

"What name do you think suits you then?" She sat up and didn't recognize the look of intent in his eyes.

"I've never really thought about it." She looked down at the floor and then looked back up. "Ginny I guess."

He nodded.

"What about you?"

"What?" He said, it came out a bit more harshly than he expected. At the beginning of his time at the burrow he was surprised at any softness that came out of him in regards to her, now in just a few short weeks it was the opposite.

"Do you like your name?"

He paused for a moment puzzled by why she would ask him that. "I never really thought about it, I guess I do. It's tradition for the members of my mother's side of the family to be named after constellations." It felt odd, talking about his family. He used to be proud to be a Malfoy, and that he came from The Great and Nobel House of Black, but now it seemed empty. It was as if he no longer felt a connection to them.

"You wouldn't rather be called Drake then?" She said "Drake" in a mocking tone remembering how Pansy used to call him that while following him around the castle.

Draco groaned. "Oh Merlin, please don't." He threw the snitch at Ginny and she replaced it back on her brother's nightstand.

Ginny stood up from the bed and walked over to the trap door that hid the ladder to the rest of the house. "Where are you going?" he asked more to keep the conversation going that anything.

"To go tell everyone about your new nickname." She said not bothering to turn around in her decent. Draco made a face that she didn't see. "Actually, I'm going to put these things back in the closet, and then I'm going to lie in my bed and do absolutely nothing productive for the rest of the day." She hit the floor of the landing with a hop. He followed shortly after.

The two reached the closet by the kitchen where the deposited their cleaning supplies. "All done Ginny?" Molly Weasley asked from her chair in the living room, her knitting needles creating of their over accord next to her while she read the latest issue of A Witch's Home.

"Yes, every room clean, every chore completed." Ginny said with a sigh.

Molly smiled "Very good."

And with that the three went their separate ways.

It was one of the longest days Ginny could remember and it was only just after 11 o'clock in the morning. Draco had left the evening before with Snape as it was decided that if Draco showed up to platform 9 ¾ with the Weasley family it was bound to raise suspicions unwantedly. Even though he had only been at the Burrow for a little over a month and they hadn't spoken very much since their marathon cleaning session was over Ginny felt his absence. It was odd to walk down to breakfast and not see him chatting with her family, a little less awkwardly every day.

When Ginny saw him supervising a house elf load his trunk onto the train it suddenly felt like every other time she had looked on as Draco Malfoy allowed a small creature to carry his heavy trunk onto the train. She rolled her eyes and heaved her own trunk onto the train with the help of Harry. After securing her belongings she followed Harry, Ron, and Hermione through the car looking for an empty compartment. Ron held the door to one as Harry and Hermione walked in but when Ginny was about to enter Ron told her "Sorry Ginny, we need to talk about something before Hermione and I have to go to the prefect meeting." The door slid shut in her face.

Ginny sighed because no matter how much time they spent together during the summer and no matter that Ginny already knew everything they were going to discuss thanks to Hermione, Ginny was still not a part of The Golden Trio. She looked around as the compartments filled up, normally she would go find Fred and George and sit with them, but since they graduated that wasn't an option. She turned to find someone from her own year when she ran into a firm chest.

"Ginny." He said, she looked up and the Draco from the platform was gone.

"Draco." She said casually, as if the young man standing in front of her was the same young man she saw on the train every year and not someone who she considered a friend.

He nodded and she stepped aside. She watched him walk down the car then hurried to catch up with him. "Ginny what are you doing?" He stopped and turned around to face her.

"I was thinking we could ride together." He looked puzzled and Ginny realized what she proposed was ridiculous.

"I'm going to sit with my friends. I would let you come but besides the fact that no one is supposed to know we're uh…" He paused unsure of what to say, he thought of them as friends but he wasn't sure if Ginny did. "friendly, I don't think you'd want to spend several hours with my friends."

He did have a point there, nothing sounded more unappealing than listening to Blaise Zabini talk about his various conquests, and Crabbe and Goyle grunt incoherently to each other while Pansy prattled on about whatever she prattled on about. "You do have a point."

"I guess I'll see you later, yeah?" He asked.

"Yeah, later." They parted ways with a friendly nod and Draco walked down the car.

"Ginny!" said the voice of Colin Creevy, she turned around and smiled at him.

"Hello Colin." She took a deep breath. Colin was a very nice boy and was a good friend but he always seemed to have had a few too many butterbeers. His constant nervous energy made interacting with him exhausting.

"I think Neville and Luna are in here." He went to open a compartment but paused. "I think Dean is in there too if you don't mind."

Ginny looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Why would I mind if Dean is in there."

"Oh I heard that you broke up. It's nice that you can still be friends after all that."

"We didn't break up…" Did not talking to someone for a month count as breaking up? "It's a long story."

"Oh, well in that case." He opened that compartment and the two went in. Ginny was planning on taking the spot next to Dean but seeing his unhappy expression she decided to sit next to Luna on the opposite side of the compartment next to the window. Colin took the seat directly across from her next to Neville.

"How was your summer, Ginny, I hadn't heard from you all summer." Luna asked.

"Oh it was boring; I was at home the whole time. There wasn't much to write about sorry." It wasn't exactly a lie, she was home the entire time, and anything eventful she wasn't allowed to write about.

Her friends talked on about their Holidays, Luna went on a trip across the country side with her father looking for some made up creature Ginny couldn't remember. Neville got a new plant from his Gran for his birthday that kept secreting psychotropic gas. Ginny couldn't help but think of Draco's responses to her friends stories. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy hearing about their adventures, she loved her friends, she just wished things weren't so complicated and that Draco could just be a part of her group of friends as well.

As if he heard her thoughts Colin broke her trance by asking. "Hey Ginny, What were you talking to Malfoy about earlier." Dean straightened up in his seat and Ginny tried desperately to remember all the lying tips Draco had given her over the summer.

_ "I think it's a ginger thing. I can't lie." She said while flinging a gnome over the fence on the back yard. _

_ Draco gave her a pointed look. "Come on anyone can lie it's not difficult. You just say something that isn't true."_

_ "Fine I can lie, just not convincingly." _

_ He studied her face and frowned. "So what are your tells." _

_ "My tells?" She thought for a moment. "Well, first I blush like mad, and I can't look the person straight in the eye, then if I think the person isn't believing me-"_

_ "There's your problem right there, you think no one believes you. If you want to lie convincingly then look straight at the person, don't look them in the eye if it's not necessary, and say whatever it is as if they have no reason not to believe you. Always say the minimum you need to in order to get your point across and if someone questions you don't be defensive. An honest man has nothing to hide." _

Ginny looked at Colin directly and said "Oh you know the usual, Malfoy bumped into me, told me to apologize and I told him to sod off." Colin shrugged and the compartment let the conversation drop. She leaned her head against the cool glass and fell into a light sleep while she watched the English countryside roll by.

Ginny took her normal seat in the great hall across from Hermione and next to Neville with Seamus on her other side. "Where's Harry?" Ginny asked seeing the other's distress.

"We don't know, he left the compartment while I was in the restroom changing into my robes. He didn't come back." Hermione said looking at the door to the hall.

"And you let him walk off by himself?" Ginny asked Ron.

"I'm not his babysitter, besides he's probably fine. He can take care of himself."

"I told him the same thing, Ginny. Honestly Ronald, Vol-" She stopped herself as a couple of third years overhearing her looked worried. Hermione rolled her eyes. "You-know-who is back Harry's not safe. Something could have happened to him."

"He's not going to get kidnapped on the train, Harry is fine." Anymore discussion on the subject was dropped when Dumbledore gave his welcome speech. The longer the speech went the more Ginny's anxiety grew. Even though she seemed to have a Draco sized force field around her all summer she did consider Harry a good friend.

The speech ended and the feast began with still no sign of Harry.

"Will you stop eating?" Hermione said through gritted teeth.

Ron shrugged. "What I'm hungry."

Hermione sighed "Your best friend is missing."

"Yeah and me being starving isn't going to help him." Just then Harry took his place between his best friends. "Look here he is."

Harry gave everyone at the table a weak smile as he tried to hide the bloody handkerchief he had in his hand. He occasionally had to bring it back to his nose in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Harry, what happened to you?" Ginny asked, Harry's expression turned to stone.

"Why don't you ask him." He gestured to the Slytherin table where Draco Malfoy sat chatting with his friends.

Ginny sighed turning back to her food, there had to be some sort of explanation for this.

After dinner Ginny hid behind a statue in the entryway waiting as students passed. She saw Draco walk by, grabbed his arm, and pulled him behind the statue with her.

"Bloody hell, Weasley!" He whispered harshly.

"What is wrong with you?" She whispered back with the same amount of venom.

"What are you talking about?"

"Luna said you broke Harry's nose." She put her hands on her hips in a very Molly Weasley like fashion.

"Oh, that."

"Oh, that?!" She smacked him upside the head. "Is that all you have to say for yourself? He's one of the people trying to help protect you and you attack him?"

"He was spying on me with that bloody invisibility cloak of his." Invisibility cloak… Ginny thought, that explained so much.

"So you hit him?"

"I didn't hit him. I petrified him and then stomped on his nose." He said as if that was a normal response.

Ginny sighed and leaned against the wall as if she was suddenly tired. "Get out." She said.

"I think you're forgetting you were the one who dragged me to this little meeting." He said trying to lighten the mood.

"Leave."

"Ginny." He said he took a step towards her.

"No, I don't want to talk to you." She looked around searching for the words to say. "I thought you were different. I thought we were friends."

"I thought we were friends too."

"Well, I guess we were both wrong. My friends don't my other friends like that."

"Ginny, I'm sorry."

"That's just it, you're not sorry. At least you're not sorry you did it." She wasn't one to cry and she didn't know why she felt like crying now. "Just don't bother I know when you're lying." She pushed past him and walked up the stairs to Gryffindor tower. He watched her go and didn't try to stop her.

**I hoped you liked the chapter, it was one of my favorites to write so far but I'm very excited for what is going to happen during the next couple of chapters.**

**Edit: 9/11/14 I forgot to add when I published this chapter last night that the bit about an honest man has nothing to hide comes from the movie Catch Me If You Can. It's one of my favorites so if you haven't seen it then I highly recommend it.**

** nutmeg44 - I love the comeraderie between them as well, their developing friendship is the reason why I wanted to write this story. **

** Johan Kira Expelliarmus - Yes Mrs. Weasley seems to adopt any child that walks through her door as her own, and I hope your question was answered in this chapter. **


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